Description

Posters are printed placards, usually text and images, produced for posting in a public place, to be used for communication of information. They have long been produced, but it was only with the development of lithography that they were able to be produced easily and economically in color and in large quantities. This sort of poster became an important innovation and by the 1870s became an important means of advertising and promotion. By the 1890s, especially in France, posters became an important fine art medium, used for magazines, businesses, exhibitions and other events. Designed by an extensive group of artists in a wide variety of styles, posters became very much part of the aesthetic culture from the late nineteenth century to the present day.

This poster is The Century Magazine. These small posters were used by news agents to glue to the sides of their stands to advertise the issue in question. Their ephemeral nature makes them very rare. The image shown, “An Afternoon Bite at a Workingmen’s Brasserie,” is by André Castaigne, from a series of illustrations in the magazine entitled “Paris of the Faubourgs.”